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It's in the bag, baby.
I apologize if this article has been posted here. I find the analogy very appropriate!
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8655
Lords of the Rings Serve Notice
By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 5/12/08 7:04 AM ET | 761 times read
During the run-up to the 2007-08 NBA season the San Antonio Spurs told anyone who would listen that they weren't concerned about their inability to repeat as champs. You see, time and time again they were hearing the national media's only knock on them, which was that winning four les wasn't enough if they couldn't do it back-to-back. Then the regular season started, the news cycle ran its course, and everyone went back to forgetting about the San Antonio Spurs.
Situation normal.
Trades led the headlines, the Lakers and Kobe held the national spotlight, and everyone wanted to talk about the Boston Celtics and their new Big Three. Meanwhile, the team from South Texas quietly went about the business of preparing for another long postseason run.
On Sunday night they sent a message to the rest of the NBA: Yes, there are impressive young teams coming up through the ranks. Yes, the Spurs' day are probably numbered. Yes, there will come a day when the Spurs are no longer the Western Conference's most consistently dominant postseason team.
"But it will not be this day!"
The Lords of the Rings hit their stride in the third quarter of their Game 3 match-up with the New Orleans Hornets, using a 30-19 stretch to render the fourth quarter purely academic. The Hornets are usually a strong third quarter team, but on Sunday it was the Spurs who put the game away in the third frame.
The Spurs, behind the first strong game from Tim Duncan in the series, dominated every area of the game - from assists (27-12) to rebounds (45-36) - and for the first time this series San Antonio fans saw the kind of lock-down defense they expect from their home team. Chris Paul, who has been able to go anywhere and do anything throughout the playoffs to date, was suddenly shut out of the paint. Forced to the perimeter, Paul had a hard time getting going, and wasn't able to get his teammates into their comfort zones, either. While Duncan (22 points, 15 rebounds), Tony Parker (21 points, eight assists), and Manu Ginobili (15 points, eight assists) did their part, the Spurs also got 27 points from Ime Udoka and Michael Finley to help fuel their fire.
The series is now tied 2-2, and the pressure certainly shifts to the young Hornets, who must find a way to regain the momentum in this series. They've been resilient all season, but how they respond to this daunting challenge will absolutely determine how much longer their impressive season will last. On Sunday the Spurs gave them plenty of reason to worry.
It's in the bag, baby.
The One Ring is mine . . .
My prreeecioussss . . .
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